Deion Sanders sent a message to reporters at a Colorado football press conference on Saturday letting them know he was watching their stance on the harshness of their coverage.
When asked about the negative coverage and negative questions at press conferences, Sanders said, “I’ve never read an article or commentary and said, ‘Oh, now I have to crack down.’ I’m going to crack down anyway, but that commentary showed me where you stand.”
“So that’s the only difference in this. It doesn’t drive me. Where I came from drove me. How I grew up drove me. You know, I’m African-American and one of the few that are head coaches in college football, that’s the kind of thing that drives me. It’s not about what you say. That lets me know where you stand.”
Sanders’ message came at the first press conference, where Denver Post columnist Sean Keeler was not allowed to ask Sanders or his players questions.
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Colorado head coach Deion Sanders speaks during the Big 12 College Football Media Days on July 10, 2024 in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Lucas Peltier)
Colorado’s athletic department announced Friday that Keeler would not be allowed to ask questions for an indefinite period of time due to “a series of ongoing, personal attacks on the football program and Coach Prime in particular,” ESPN reported.
Later during Saturday’s press conference, Sanders was asked by a reporter if other reporters were also silenced if they asked questions that were viewed as negative.
“Now that’s negative,” Sanders replied. “Like you think I’m negative. I’m not negative to anyone here. I would challenge you and ask, ‘Why or where did that come from?’ I’m not built that way. I’m not built to hate. I’m not a hateful guy. I come with love.”
“I think if anyone has met me here, I know that I don’t come with nonsense. I come with peace and joy. Now if you show me where you stand, I may have to change that a little bit. So I’m not going to accommodate your ignorance.”
Keeler was present at the conference on Saturday but, as promised in the program, did not ask a single question. Colorado officials have said Keeler’s access to “football-related activities” will continue to be protected and that his colleagues at the newspaper are free to ask questions.
A Colorado athletic department spokesman told the newspaper that some of Keeler’s past references to Sanders have been a problem, including instances where the coach was called “Deposition Deion,” “Bruce Lee of BS” and “false prophet.” Certain phrases such as “Planet Prime,” “the Deion Kool-Aid” and “circus” also caused controversy, the unnamed Colorado athletic department media relations official said, according to The Denver Post.
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Colorado head coach Deion Sanders directs players during the first half of a college football spring game on April 27, 2024, in Boulder, Colorado. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
During another press conference on August 9, Sanders directly criticized the columnist for his previous reporting.
“You don’t like us, man. Why are you doing this to yourself?” Sanders asked Keeler at one point during the Aug. 9 press conference. “No, I’m serious. Why are you doing this? You know you don’t like it. So why are you doing this?”
Keeler is not the first reporter whose questions Sanders has turned down. During the August 9 press conference, Sanders also turned down a question from CBS reporter Eric Christensen.
“I don’t do anything with CBS,” Sanders said as Christensen introduced herself. “Next question. … It has nothing to do with you. It’s above everything. It has nothing to do with you. I love you. I appreciate and respect you. It has nothing to do with you. You know what you did.”
Even before Sanders became Colorado’s head coach at the start of last season, he had a history of denying reporters access to his teams.
When Sanders was head coach at Jackson State in 2021, a reporter for the Mississippi Clarion-Ledger was banned from covering the football program. The paper published an article based on a court filing about a top recruit who was charged with an alleged assault on a woman. The newspaper learned of the ban a day after the article was published.
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Colorado head coach Deion Sanders talks between plays with Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders during the home opener against the Nebraska Cornhuskers on September 9, 2023 at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado. (Nick Tre. Smith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Still, Sanders sought a personal connection with reporters on Saturday when asked if he ever felt “persecuted” by negative media coverage.
“I don’t know anything about persecution,” Sanders said. “For me, it’s a way of life. You act like it’s the first time I’ve been shot at. I’ve been lied to, cheated, talked about, abused. It’s a gospel song.”
“This isn’t the first time, but the more I mature, the more I want to know why, instead of hitting back, criticizing, or just dismissing. Let’s help each other. Let’s find out the why, because when you understand the why in people, it helps you immensely.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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